


Bastinado

by NYWCgirl



Series: Abyssinia [4]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe, Corporal Punishment, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 01:05:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4646574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal is hungry and steals food while in prison. He is taught a lesson he won´t forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bastinado

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a timestamp in the ´Abyssinia´ verse and a prequel to ‘Lockstep’. It fills the ´Corporal punishment´ square on my H/C bingo card.

Neal wakes up because his stomach growls. He is hungry, but it is still the middle of the night. He sighs, he won´t be fed until daybreak.

He knows why he is hungry, he hasn´t gotten any dinner last night as Charles, one of the guards announced that he didn´t work hard enough. He is the smallest of their chain gang and the only Caucasian. He is no match for the other inmates when it comes to physical labor.

To set an example, Charles had tied him to the hitching post once they arrived back at the prison, and made him wait while the rest of the inmates got their dinner.

Neal is a skinny guy and he couldn´t really rely on his reserves, so here he is, awake because of his growling stomach. He knows he needs to rest, as in a couple of hours he will need his strength. He closes his eyes and eventually falls asleep again.

When the guards start banging their batons on the bars of the cells, Neal wakes with a start. Good… breakfast. The doors open and Neal shuffles outside. The leg irons hurt, he thought he would get used to them, but he still isn´t. They are heavy and shave his ankles; he is warned to be careful not to get shackle sores.

The inmates are lead to breakfast, which turns out to be weak tea and a piece of bread with bacon fat. But before he can eat his bread, Charles is standing next to him and pulls him away from his food.

“What do you think you are doing, Caffrey?”

“Eating my breakfast, sir.” He keeps his eyes on the ground.

“Did I tell you, you could eat?”

“No sir.”

Charles takes the piece of bread and walks away with it. Neal quickly drinks his tea before they have to report at the courtyard for another day of physical labor.

 

* * *

 

Around eleven, Neal passes out. Luckily it is Bobby, who is guarding them at that moment. He commands two inmates to carry Neal to the wagon where the supplies and tools are transported with and Neal is placed in the shadow of the wagon.

Bobby tells the other two to continue their work and doesn´t pay attention to Neal, who sees an opportunity to get himself something to eat. The bread is transported in baskets on the wagon and Neal quickly grabs a piece and shoves it in his mouth.

But he doesn´t pay attention to Norman, who sees him steal the bread. Before Neal realizes what is happening, he is hit with a baton on his wrist and he drops the bread with a cry.

A couple of inmates look up to see what is happening, but Charles calls out to keep working if they know what is good for them.

Norman grabs him by the collar of his uniform and drags him to the post where the horses are tied. Neal is shoved to the ground, turned onto his stomach and his feet are dragged up to the post. Norman roughly pulls his leather boots of his feet and ties them to the post with a leather strap. Because of the shackles, the awkward position drags his hands to his groin and he is lying on top of them, face down.

Neal knows better than to say anything, but when the cane hits the soles of his feet, he has to use all his while power not to cry out. His feet are restrained in such a way, that it doesn´t matter how much Neal´s contorts his body, he can´t get away and it doesn´t disturb the caning of his feet.

The stinging is so overwhelming and intense, that before Neal knows it, he cries out. When Norman is done, he is untied and pulled up. His feet are burning. Neal quickly grabs his boots and pulls them on. He doesn´t want to walk barefooted. When he gets a shove, he quickly hobbles over to where he was working. He picks up the shovel and continues digging.

During the day, Neal gets lightheaded on two more occasions, but the adrenaline of the caning give Neal enough will power to prevent him from passing out.

By the time they are returning to the prison there is still a muted stinging sensation in his feet. Walking hurts, but Neal knows the pain will pass and there won´t be any lasting effects. Like the evening before, Neal is tied to the hitching post and left while the rest of the inmates get fed. Neal realizes that he can´t keep this up. He will perish if he doesn´t eat soon. The fifteen hour work day is already taking its toll, but if he doesn´t eat soon, it will only get worse.

After dinner, Bobby comes to tie him lose and escort him back to his cell.

“Neal, you can´t keep doing this. Don´t antagonize Norman and Charles, you can´t win, son. They will break you.”

“I´m sorry Bobby, I was hungry and…” Neal has to fight to keep tears falling. He is at the end of his endurance. He though he was a tough guy when he went into prison, but the conditions of the prison are not what he had expected and to be honest, he misses Kate. As they are not married, she is not allowed to visit him in prison.

“I know it is tough on a kid like you. But keep your head down.” Before Bobby leaves the cell, he slips something underneath Neal´s blanket.

Neal is curious, but knows better than to check while there is still daylight filtering in through the small windows. Only after the cells are in lock down and the sun has set, dipping his cell in complete darkness, does he dare to lift his blanket. It is a piece of bread and beef jerky.

Neal silently devours the meager food.

When he scratches a tally mark in the wall, he realizes he needs to plot a plan to get out of here.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Bastinado is the technical term for foot whipping which is a form of corporal punishment by beating the soles of the feet.


End file.
